To the Hon. PM Justin Trudeau,  Leaders Sean Fraser, Jagmeet Singh, Erin O’Toole, Yves-François Blanchet

Canadians Citizens/PR's/Students/Refugee Claimants have been waiting OVER 2 years for a decision on their Spousal Sponsorship Applications, isolating us from our spouses and children.  Each day we reach out to the IRCC Minister, but are met with neglect and indifference. Our lives are in turmoil, we are psychologically traumatized trying to find ways to survive daily emotions of fear, uncertainty, hopelessness, depression and anxiety.  

The Liberal's have not upheld their campaign promises: "A Liberal government...will change the rules so that spouses immigrating to Canada receive immediate permanent residency, no two year waiting period"  "making it easier for families to be together here in Canada makes more than just economic sense, when Canadians have added supports like family involvement in childcare it helps drive productivity and economic growth and it brings in skilled workers we need so badly."  - Justin Trudeau, Sept 2015 

WORDS ALONE  ARE MEANINGLESS; Canadians need a government that truly listens & responds with Intelligent Action

It is TIME to ACT - We are hurting, we matter, we vote, we remember.

There are thousands of people separated from their spouses and children for more than 29 months at the New Delhi Visa Office (NDVO) & other Global Visa Offices. Many of those stuck are due to the suspension of in-person interviews, and the Canadian government has not taken any steps to reinstate in-person interviews or implemented any alternative solution to carry them out. It is critical to act now and implement compassionate solutions to address this MAJOR barrier to reunification. It is no longer acceptable or ethical to keep us at a standstill in rigid processes at a time when only compassion, mutual cooperation and flexibility will help us move thru this troubling time. We are devastated, our lives in shambles!

Please complete our applications FAIRLY and with priority under section 3(1) (d) of the IRPA!

We are Canadian citizens, permanent/temporary residents & students who are taxpayers, who live, work, study, and participate in Canadian society. We expect the federal government to take CORRECTIVE ACTION to implement viable family reunification measures for all family class applications!  

COVID was never been an acceptable excuse to delay, deny, violate and interfere in fundamental human rights to family, especially when you were able to break an all-time immigration record by landing 401,000 immigrants in 2021. There are millions in Canada separated by a callous and racist immigration bureaucracy, causing a mental health crisis due to depression, fear and never ending anxiety that can only be addressed with family reunification. 

We plead that you act compassionately and with urgency.

SOLUTIONS to address obscene delays:

We call upon the Prime Minister to acknowledge the HARMFUL impacts of delays at the New Delhi Visa Office and all other Global Visa Offices and direct the prioritization of outland spousal sponsorship & spousal open work permit applications immediately by:

1.    Allocate staff to immediately scan our paper applications and move the electronic applications to Canada or global visa offices that are not experiencing suspension of services. Failing to do so, MAIL them back to Canada! We have seen postings on social media of 2021 application processed at the Ottawa visa office in as little as 6 months.

2.    Implement virtual interviews at the New Delhi Visa Offices and ALL other  impacted Visa Offices or allow the global visa offices that have the technological capability to conduct virtual interviews. The Immigration Appeal Division is conducting virtual hearings using Microsoft Teams.

3.    Re-review applications IRCC labelled as “complex” to ensure conclusions drawn about the bona fide of our marriages are free of age, racial, religious, cultural, previous marital status, and any other forms of discrimination. We have a right to fair and unbiased assessments. A recent report on a cultural of racism in the IRCC and its impact on decisions made by staff on applications is concerning and swift action must be taken to eliminate discrimination. 

4.    Request additional documentation in lieu of interviews to allay any officer’s concerns about the bona fide of our marriages. Couples who have spent years on this process and have provided additional evidence of such, should be re-reviewed.

5.    Take the application as far to completion as possible by completing all other functions, such as background and criminal checks.

6.    Uphold IRCC commitment to transparency and immediately issue communication that provides the status, complete officers notes and the exact reasons applications have not been finalized.

7.    Make section R179(b) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations inapplicable to allow for the immediate issuing of TRV’s

8.    Provide a pathway for the spouses of Canadian Citizens in the outland sponsorship stream to apply for work permits and/or study permits.

Failing all else, we request the issuance of permanent resident visas for ALL outland spousal sponsorship applications via Ministerial Instruction where; the principal applicant has provided a clear criminal record check; the Canadian sponsor has been granted eligibility, and the application has passed the 12-month processing time. This is in the powers of all ministers, mainly Chrystia Freeland and Justin Trudeau and Sean Fraser.

ISSUES:

1.     In-person interviews have been suspended at the New Delhi Visa Office since March 2020 delaying applications for close to 2 years, 

2.    Over 16 months ago, on September 24, 2020, the Minister announced, “IRCC is leveraging new technology in a pilot to digitize paper applications so they can be processed more efficiently by IRCC employees working remotely and at various worksites. In addition IRCC will be piloting, in the upcoming weeks, technology to conduct interviews with applicants remotely.”  The NDVO and other global visa offices are still not setup to schedule or conduct virtual interviews. 

3.     On January 22, 2022, the IRCC website posted, they were finalizing most application received over 23 months ago between February 9 and 15, 2020. To make matters worse, the applications IRCC labels “complex” are excluded-leaving thousands of people languishing in pain. Those recommended for interviews are considered “complex”. With no alternative to in-person interviews available these applications have been at a COMPLETE STANDSTILL

4.     Indefinite timelines for IRCC cases labelled “complex” are causing endless worry and frustration. We have been put on a slow hamster wheel with the IRCC with unanswered emails, webform and ATIP requests. It has been reported that New Delhi received 15,791 emails in July 2019, an increase of 52% over June 2019. Illustrating the desperate need to scan files and increase transparency. We are not satisfied to wait indefinitely with no answers. We are being robbed of precious time with our loved ones. 

5.     Un-scanned paper-based applications are resulting in ATIP requests taking up to 365 days above the regular 30-day processing time.

6.     In March 2021, the IRCC announced the hiring of 62 new employees dedicated to family class overseas applications to shorten processing times that have been extended during the pandemic. The processing time at the NDVO has increased, How can this new staff accessed paper- based applications located physically at NDVO to help shorten timelines?

7.     Despite the suspension of in-person interviews, applications continue to be put into an interview queue, building on the already existing backlogs.

8.     Understandably, the start of the pandemic was an unprecedented event, but we are now 2 years into the pandemic. We have vaccines and the technology to work virtually.  To continue to use the pandemic to justify the delays of over 2 years is illogical and cruel. It is especially hurtful and unjust to complete 2021 applications and economic class applications in record time at NDVO during the pandemic. We want orderly, fair treatment with defined timelines so that we too may plan our lives.

9.     Many have filed a “WRIT OF MANDAMUS” in the federal court for help to compel the IRCC to complete the applications, all to ask the federal government to uphold our human rights and for families to be together. Canadians have been met with resistance from IRCC stating that current delays are reasonable. How is it reasonable for a husband and wife and children to be separated for more than 3 years? The pushback is not only a wastage of tax-payers money on IRCC lawyer fees it is UNCANADIAN, HUMILATING & INHUMANE to fight your own citizens that are pleading for a basic human right to hold their families in their arms. A right the federal government themselves have expressed they value at this difficult time.  

10.    The delays have subjected us to an uncertain future filled with anxiety and depression. The prolonged separation during a deadly global pandemic is leading to severe emotional/mental/financial distress. We have been hospitalized, prescribed medications never taken before and even had suicidal thoughts. 

11.    Border closures, flight bans, suspension/restriction on issuing Indian travel visas and quarantine measures have restricted travel to visit our families.

12.    For over 3 years our lives have been at a standstill. We communicate, celebrate milestones, watch our children grow up - all on video calls across varying time zones. We are unable to move forward with family planning, as time passes fertility declines for some, employment suffers, we maintain two homes, our children are being raised without both parents, we are isolated from our primary support network. It is essential to our overall well-being and the healthy development of our children to be living in the same home together.

13.    There are no pathways for those with an open outland spousal sponsorship application to apply for a work permit or study permit. Canada should be capitalizing on the extensive education and experience our spouses would bring to Canada to the economy by investments and filling job vacancies.

14.    The clarification of “dual intent” for families to apply for a temporary resident visa (TRV) while awaiting their permanent residence is almost always denied under the guise of Section 179(b), which demands that a person cannot have any “strong ties” to Canadians, saying they cannot be trusted to leave the country when their tourist visa expires. This contravenes the public policy of August 24, 2020 allowing TRV holders to apply for work permit thus establishing ties to Canada. 

We are hurting, we matter, we vote.

-Voices4Families, an advocacy group for family reunification

Email: admin@voices4families.ca Twitter: @V4Families Voices4Families | Facebook

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